Discipline

Ensuring the game is played in a fun and safe environment

DISCIPLINE is a fundamental part of club ADMINISTRATION

#FootballForAll

Players should be familiar with the fact that they must abide by the Laws of Association Football and that the Match Officials enforce these Laws. The consequences of breaches of the Laws of Association Football are cautions, dismissal from the field of play and possible charges from the Jersey FA.

Participants are likely to be less familiar with the wide range of disciplinary procedures and to assist this The FA has developed guidance to summarise the County Disciplinary Procedures at Step 5 and below.

The Discipline Handbook

The Discipline Handbook is an online interactive reference guide to aid Leagues, Clubs and Players through the forthcoming season.

You can access the handbook by clicking on the following link at the bottom of the page.

The handbook will be a useful guide to explain the disciplinary process and details the changes that have taken place over the last few years – including match based discipline, sanction guidelines, the whole game system and changes to handling discrimination. This year’s guide also includes videos and resources that will go into greater depth to explain the disciplinary process.

Videos:

Introduction from Mark Ives, Disciplinary Manager

Sin Bin Trials

Eligibility of Players in Fixtures

Who is responsible for ensuring Players are not suspended before they play?

Wrongful Dismissals

Why have the RESPECT sanctions been introduced?

Player Insurance

Whole Game System

What steps are The FA Taking to improve handling of discrimination cases?

There is also a Leagues section to provide guidance for administrators regarding the Powers and Duties of the League.

DISCIPLINE FAQs

Chairmen's Checklist

The Chairman's checklist is a useful aid for County FA Commission Chairman to ensure that all the necessary processes have been correctly followed. It can also help Participants understand the general format of their hearing. It should be noted that this document is just a guide and not compulsory so Commissions may adopt varying approaches. You can download this from the documents section below.

Attending a Hearing

There may be occasions when are you are asked to attend to a County Disciplinary Hearing – either as a Player charged with misconduct, or attending as a witness to misconduct, or as a Match Official giving evidence.

The FA has produced a series of guides to help prepare you for the Hearing and let you know what to expect covering topics such as:

What should I bring with to the hearing?

What should I wear?

Can I bring witnesses with me?

How long do Personal Hearings normally last?

What happens if I am not happy with the result of my Hearing?

Procedures for young people

These can be downloaded from the resources section below.

Sanctioning Guidelines

Our principle is that the sporting sanction should be consistent across ALL levels of the game and the fluctuating element would be the monetary sanction imposed to reflect the level of game.

The Sanction Guidelines document enables clubs and players to be aware of the guidance given to County Associations and Disciplinary Commissions for when assessing and deciding on disciplinary cases. This document will serve as a useful guide for Participants to have an awareness of likely sanction should the case against them be found proven. You can download this from the resources section below.

Wrongful Dissmisals

Changes have been made to permit wrongful dismissal claims at Steps 5-7 and below without having to submit video evidence as we understand that not all games at these levels are filmed. However, we do require that the match footage is submitted when available to help demonstrate that the Referee made an obvious error in dismissing a player. The deadlines for appeal and submitting evidence have also been amended to be more beneficial for Clubs operating at Steps 5 to 7 and below – appeals will still be heard before any suspension is due to commence.

Respect

The FA's Respect programme provides a series of tools for leagues, clubs, coaches, players and parents from grassroots to elite football - to help ensure a safe, positive environment in which to play the game.

Match Based Discpline

Suspensions under the match based discipline system will commence 7 days from the date of fixture (effective from Season 2017-2018).

This approach will improve the consistency of sanctions throughout all levels of the game across the Country, and ensure suspensions that are imposed on players are fair and in proportion to the offence they have been charged with.

A match based suspension for a standard charge (straight red card, 2 x yellow cards) in any of the types of football will only result in a suspension from that type; the individual will be free to participate in all other types during the suspension. The only exception is in the case of misconduct charges which result in suspensions from 'All Football'.

If you have not received correspondence relating to a fixture within 7 days of the sending off, then you must contact the County FA immediately. Non-receipt of paperwork is not a valid defence, and a charge will be issued for playing whilst under suspension.

The suspensions and fines for Season 2017 / 2018 are as follows:

Below NLS & Youth

Step 5 - 7

Standard Charges

Fine*

Suspension (Matches)

Fine

Suspension (Matches)

Serious Foul Play

£25

3

£40

3

Violent Conduct

£25

3

£40

3

Spitting

£50

6

£50

6

Denying a goal scoring opportunity

£15

1

£20

1

Abusive/Offensive Language

£25

2

£30

2

2nd Caution

£15

1

£20

1

*please note that an administration fee of £10.00 is also payable per case.

If you receive a Misconduct charge (case number ending in M) these do not carry set suspensions. These types of cases are heard by a Discipline Commission who decides on appropriate suspensions and/or a fine.